Razzano wins by one Democrat comes out ahead after absentees are recounted by hand BY JESSICA SMITH Staff Writer The deadlock between two candidates for a South River Borough Council seat was broken Friday, with Democrat Anthony Razzano winning by one vote. The result, brought about by the counting of provisional ballots, will be a split council, with three Democrats and three Republicans come Jan. 1. "It was quite a process," Razzano said. "This is like the best civics lesson anyone could get. Every vote counts." The Republicans are in the process of requesting a recount, according to Michael Trenga, the GOP candidate who had been tied with Razzano after the initial tallies Nov. 7. Whether he ends up winning or losing in the end, Trenga said, it remains significant that the council is now split, as Democrats have long held a 5-1 or 4-2 majority. Democratic Mayor Robert Szegeti will still be able to vote on resolutions in the event of a 3-3 tie, but he will not be able to vote on bonding issues. "We're still going to have a tremendous impact," Trenga said. "I'm personally disappointed that I lost, but I feel it's a positive outcome for our party, we did gain one seat." Republican John Trzeciak won a three-year term outright in the election with an original count of 1,752 votes, and a final count of 1,755. Incumbent Democratic and longtime Councilman Richard Reichenbach lost with a final count of 1,468 votes. Barring any reversal in the decision, Trzeciak will be the only new face on the council next year. Razzano joined the council in September after being appointed to fill the seat of Linda Ejk, who resigned. Trzeciak and Razzano will serve alongside Democrats David Sliker and Joanne Dembinski, and Republicans John Krenzel and Raymond Eppinger. Trenga feels that the election sent a message to the Democrats on the governing body. The Republicans swept in last year's election, and to gain another seat this year is notable in a town where Democrats outnumber Republicans 2-1 and unaffiliated voters make up the majority, he said. "It is a message that not only the rank-and-file Democrats but [also] the undeclared voters are unhappy with the way things have been going, and they made that known on Election Day," said Krenzel, who is also the borough's Republican Party chairman. The ballot-counting process was a bit of a roller coaster ride: The machine vote had the candidates tied, as did the initial absentee and emergency ballot count. When additional ballots were counted last week, Trenga took the lead, but Razzano ultimately won on an absentee recount. Of the 16 provisional ballots received by election officials, 10 were thrown out, and the others gave three votes each for Razzano and Trenga, leaving them tied at 1,597. However, one of the 10 discounted ballots was eventually counted after officials discovered a clerical error had taken place, according to Krenzel. That vote put Trenga over the top. But when the absentee ballots were recounted by hand, Razzano's total rose from 58 to 60, bringing him a one-vote victory over Trenga. "Losing by one vote ... ouch," Krenzel said. "We wish Mr. Razzano well, and it was a well-fought campaign." "[Trzeciak and Trenga] were both gentlemen - it was a clean campaign," Razzano said. "There was no mudslinging like at other levels. I think that's why it was so close. People were actually able to focus on the issues." Szegeti said he believes Razzano will be "a great success" as a councilman. "He will fill the shoes of Linda Ejk and will bring a lot of new ideas to the table that will benefit the residents of the borough," the mayor said. Razzano, who has been a resident of South River for 20 years and taught at the borough's middle school for 35 years, said he is looking forward to being able to give something back to a town that has been so good to him. "I'd really like to see a revitalization of the downtown, but I will not vote for eminent domain to get that accomplished. I think there are many other ways that it can be done," Razzano said. "The other thing is to keep the taxes and utility bills under control."